This article shall be cited as the “Alabama Enterprise Zone Act.”

The Legislature of Alabama hereby finds and declares that the health, safety, and welfare of the people of this state are dependent upon the continued encouragement, development, growth, and expansion of the private sector within the state and that there are certain depressed areas in the state that need the particular attention of government to help attract private sector investment into these areas. Therefore, it is declared to be the purpose of this article to stimulate business and industrial growth in the depressed areas of the state, both in urban and rural areas, by the relaxation of certain governmental controls, by providing assistance to businesses and industries, and by providing state and local tax and nontax incentives in these areas.